Travel: Fast-growing Qatar offers plenty of fun. And sun.

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By Amna ElsakaCorrespondent

The State Journal-Register

By Amna ElsakaCorrespondent

Posted May. 3, 2014 at 10:29 PM

By Amna ElsakaCorrespondent

Posted May. 3, 2014 at 10:29 PM

The stars can only be seen when you are on the outskirts of the peninsula, where the ocean seems endlessly flowing and merging with the sky. The moonlight on the water, reflecting the subtle waves, provides you with enough light to be in sheer seclusion.

No one really notices this beauty when going to a place like Qatar. However, even if the sea is not a Qatar-specific attraction, it is still one of the most beautiful sites to visit there.

I have lived there my entire life — more than 20 years of change and progress surpassing my expectations of the peninsula (itself part of the Arabian peninsula) on the Persian Gulf.

As a child, I never noticed how the city of Doha grew around me. But being able to drive around, it doesn’t really seem big. Distances have shortened; the time to go from the far north to the far south of the country that is slightly smaller than Connecticut (about 4,416 square miles) basically takes an hour — without the traffic, of course.

The skyline in Doha, the biggest city in the nation of 2.1 million people, projects its light upon the surface where the land meets the ocean on the Corniche downtown. The buildings ring the bay of the downtown area, from the fishing docks to the famous Sheraton Hotel. All the way, an array of splendid colors and shapes zigzag through the skyscrapers reaching for the invisible stars.

Fitting perfectly on the end of the Corniche (along the coastline of the Persian Gulf), the Museum of Islamic Arts has attracted many new visitors since it has opened. The admission is free during working hours and an enclosed park is attached to it. The MIA park extends to have its own little Corniche, which the locals prefer because it seems safer for families than the original one right beyond the museum gates.

Traditional buildings such as those found in the central market allow for the smell of the ocean to mix with the old spices and wooden architectures of the Souq. Souq Waqif translates as the “standing market” due to its history. Being so close to the ocean, the merchants had to stand when the tide flooded the area where they were doing business — hence the name. The Souq has a variety of gift shops, retail shops, restaurants and spice shops.

The culture in Qatar overflows in the Souq due to a couple of highlights that the old Souq maintains — such as old policemen uniforms from the 1960s, traditional food that is rarely sold anywhere else, and the traditional woodcarving and dhow-making (a dhow is a sailing vessel used for fishing and pearl diving) that has been in Qatar for many years.

However, the most cultured of places is Katara, where you can see and experience the Qatari traditions and customs all in one area. Katara is Qatar’s cultural village where traditions and mixtures of other cultures are constantly being revived. A falconry club is new to the area and the highlight for young men in Qatar. You can hold and get your picture taken with a falcon there. Festivals on National Day (similar to Independence Day in the U.S.) and other important events are usually held there.

Page 2 of 3 - Not only is it a place for traditional activities including sword dancing, filmmaking, and a fish market, it is also the musical center in Qatar. Katara offers an award-winning orchestra performance every Saturday, multiple concerts in its outdoor beachfront amphitheater and a music academy that teaches traditional and non-traditional musical instruments.

Schools, sports and sun

Fancy! That’s the best way to describe The Pearl, which is a collection of manmade islands claimed from the sea. Its name comes from the shape of the islands. Designer retail shops and famous restaurants are all over. You can take boat rides and join in extreme water sports on the lavish beaches. The Pearl also consists of apartments and villas for locals who have a taste for luxury.

Qatar is home to many establishments with modern architecture, such as the Qatar Foundation and Education City.

Even if it is not an attraction, where in the world would you find six state-of-the-art university branches in one campus? Education City in western Doha has branches of Northwestern University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Carnegie Mellon University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas A&M University and Georgetown University.

Education City also has an equestrian club, where you can ride horses and see them compete; multiple sports facilities, especially for soccer, the most popular sport in Qatar (Doha will host the 2022 World Cup); and a research and technology park. Qatar National Convention Centre, across the street from Qatar Foundation, and The National Exhibition Centre host concerts and activities and conferences from all over the world.

Qatar also has a sports city, called Aspire. It has outdoors and indoor arenas for sports including soccer, basketball, tennis, swimming and volleyball. It also has a kids’ play area and lush gardens, which contain features like a lake, trees that have been brought from other parts of the world, and a variety of flowers. The Aspire Academy is for those who take their sport careers as seriously as their academics.

There are multiple parks and recreational facilities all over Doha and Qatar. My favorite is Dahl Al Hamam Park, one of the biggest parks in Qatar. It is secured by a fence and guards for the protection of children.

For fans of extreme sports, dune bashing is one of the most popular thrill attractions that locals do in Qatar. You get in a car, go off to the south end of Qatar and drive up and down over the soft sand dunes like roller coasters. If you’re too scared, there are entertainment companies that will do the driving for you — and offer camping locations in the Inland Sea area in the southeast corner of the country. Multiple beach resorts offer these options, too.

You can rent horses and dune buggies for the same thrill. Or just get a surfboard and slide down the dunes — similar to sledding. I must warn you, though, the climb back up the hill might seem easy, but it will provide a workout for your entire body.

Page 3 of 3 - Because of the constant humidity and heat reaching up to 120 degrees, the best time to come to Qatar is between November and February, the coolest months. However, if you arrive at other times of the year, there is plenty to do indoors. There is a mall in almost every neighborhood in Qatar. The biggest and newest malls are toward the north side of Qatar, just outside the central city. There are at least seven big malls that attract a lot of people year round. Retail shops and restaurants are available, as well as indoor theme parks, bowling alleys and ice skating rinks.

Amna Elsaka, a student studying journalism at Northwestern University’s campus in Qatar, was an intern for The State Journal-Register this spring.